Overview
January 7th 2022, this marks one year of launching Prints Focian as a business. Seems a good time to pause, reflect on the past year and vocalize some thoughts on the upcoming one.
The Past Year
What a year!
I always knew there was going to be a steep learning curve to taking this hobby to the next level, but that rings hollow against the reality of it.
At any point, the overall list of things that needed doing never ebbed below gargantuan, some from skills I was practiced in, others from areas I would need to take up from scratch. So many disciplines, they make you learn and learn: social media, material experiments, image creation, video editing, photography, engagement, networking- It’s too much. No matter what you do, you’re forsaking one area or another.
This felt like something that could have been crushing, and yet, even if I didn’t always prioritize the right task (such as a bottleneck of productivity lodged in the Sanding backlog…) I always made consistent small steps of progress.
Separately from that, I’ve also had times in which I was seemingly hypnotized on a design for far too long, barely blinking as the hours waned and model modeled. When this happens, things like sleep and food feel like things only other people need. It can feel truly marvelous when I can output a lot of work without distracting myself and staying entirely focused., but alas, this drive is not something I can control. And even if I could flip the switch and choose when to engage like this, it isn’t sustainable or healthy even if it is phenomenally productive.
While both modes of my engagement are crucial, I have come to view it akin to fitness: One of those is the path I need to take, while the other I need to view with caution.
Seeing some of the finished pieces that other people have made from my designs has been the highlight of the year for me by a long way! I knew it would be cool to see, but I didn’t realize I would quite get such a happy rush from it!
There is another element I have largely neglected, wilfully and also to my shame: Networking. I know how vital it is in today’s connected age, but honestly, my major focus so far has been trying to craft my own little space on the internet where I make cool things. While that is how I engage, I know that no maker is an island. I need to try harder with various maker and cosplay communities.
While I will be trying to overcome this, however, one-to-one interactions instead of groups is largely how I exist on a social level, so honestly, I have no idea how well I will fare on this one. It’s got to be authentic though, I have no desire for something akin to “like for like” and quid pro quo. I just want to meet some awesome people, see what they’re working on, share what I am working on, and generally have people I can liaise with that are in a similar situation to me. If it isn’t genuine and natural, I’d prefer the solo approach, but I do need to be less of an island.
Oh, and product images! While I do love the new wireframe format I’ve started using to display the 3D models, my normal product images truly need a lot of work!
The Present
So here’s where I am now, the start of 2022.
I know roughly what the next few steps look like if everything goes to plan: I need to spend more time making a portfolio of 3D Models and printing Raw Build Kits, and I need to prioritize them over finished models for the next few months. Finished models need to take a back step due to the sheer level of time and work that is needed; I can’t wait till I have the available time for them, but for now, they need to be an afterthought.
Something that has really surprised me is how I’ve documented the financial side of things. I assumed the bookkeeping side of things was going to be a major weakness, but then I fell in love with spreadsheets! Don’t get me wrong, I am doing this far too prematurely, I don’t need to be doing it to the degree I am currently doing it until I make a grand in a year which… well, yeah. But that doesn’t matter, something I thought was going to be a nightmare ended up being a dream!
I have hit a nice flow with the format and process of writing my articles for my projects. Once I have the 3D Model completed, I can get an Overview article done and then update it with subsequent Prototype/Final models if and when they are made. From there, getting Raw/Premium Build Kits and Print It Yourself Versions being finalized are the next steps, with an Assembly Guide somewhere along the line as well.
Once a Project Line has all of the above, I consider it completed, and it should be available to buy… It should be. Something that has always been true of things I am making more me than others is that the closer I get to the end of a Project, the slower I start to work. I need to be aware of this and attempt to actively focus on *one* Project until completed.
I have also recently altered my requirements for releasing an article. The Prototype versions of both Tidus’ Longsword and Wrath’s Sword should have been released months before. I kept telling myself that I was going to do more work on the models and that I couldn’t write the article without them, but this was wrong. I don’t need a finished item to make a finished article. Some of my projects will never be finished, and hiding that fact runs counter to the high level of visibility I am trying to offer. An unfinished piece is not a mark of shame, but prioritizing a dead-end for poor reasons can be.
If you’re reading this on PrintsFocian.com, then it got sorted, yay, looks great, doesn’t it?! But if you’re reading this on bosskeyfound.com, then I can only apologize for the poor quality of the website. A redesign is coming! Soon…ish?
An elephant in the room for me is definitely streaming the modeling to Twitch. I’ve enjoyed broadcasting my VR fun, but really seeing the designs come to life on screen was a key aspect for me. This is the point where I could either say “Broadcasting is not coming naturally and moving forward I will be doing it less” or “I will try harder to stream the modeling”. I’m going for the latter: I do enjoy streaming, it is great fun, and it keeps me focused by preventing me from opening Twitter. I will be trying to broadcast more moving forward.
The Future
The previous year and the next year are both about setting foundations to make this the correct long-term choice. In order to have the kind of job and lifestyle I want, the next year will continue to be one of the busiest of my life. As long as I keep moving forward in the manner I have been doing, I am confident that I can keep pushing. I don’t care if I’m sprinting or making baby steps, every inch in the right direction is a success.
The following are things I’ve covered above that I’ll be trying to achieve in 2022:
- A wider variety of 3D Models for my portfolio
- Be more consistent in streaming the modeling
- Try to engage more with the communities I am on the edge of
- Focus more when I have finished 80% of a project and get it across the finish line
- Learn when something is okay if it’s not perfect, and learn what really needs to be perfect (and potentially hire a professional in the latter circumstance)
The following wasn’t covered above, but are also things I am aiming for in the following year
- Do better at getting the models out there and visible, it is myopic of me to just rely on Etsy
- Level up my skills in organic modeling with the likes of sculpting on Blender
- Sacrifice a Playstation Vita for the sake of making a piece of artwork
- Play around more with resin casting
- Make Dark Sister before the release of The House of Dragon
And the next five are more overarching goals. They are not carved in granite, but rather loose ideas of what I would like to achieve from this venture over time.
- Three concurrent profitable months
- Double my monthly charity donations
- Earn enough to have this as my full-time job
- Have an employee whose job it is to sand items
- An actual dedicated business premises
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed what you read, feel free to reach out through the usual methods and let me know!
